Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.51
December 05, 2018
…or yard; autonomous drones can perform mundane and repetitive inventory management tasks (as well as tasks that are dangerous for humans, such as flying up to view inventory on high shelves); and robots can lift shelving units from densely-packed storage areas and then transport those goods to a picking station. Read: Are Robots Going to Replace People in the Warehouse? Today’s customers expect same-day and next-day delivery guarantees. When they don’t get what they want, they can find another source with just a couple of screen taps or mouse clicks. For this reason, good inventory management - accompanied by the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.72
November 13, 2018
…conventional pallet racking. “They strictly do fulfillment and their inventory turns every two weeks, so they don’t need to go high and they don’t need reserve storage,” Pharris said. He added that while the small-box buildings so far have been fairly conventional, expect to see automation in the future. One 150,000 square foot project he is working on is with a company that plans on investing heavily in materials handling automation, including robotics. Pharris expects to see more automation in these small buildings in the future. “Lease rates in urban areas are more expensive and labor is going up,” he…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.40
November 12, 2018
…for peak is a matter of getting the right inventory in the right locations and hiring enough people to get the projected orders out the door. Those tasks are daunting enough. But, how do you recover when a facility you were counting on for the upcoming season catches fire roughly nine weeks before the first of November? Shawn Curran (left) is executive vice president of Global Supply Chain and Product Operations for Gap Inc. and Kevin Kuntz (right) is senior vice president of global logistics for Gap Inc. That’s a question Kevin Kuntz, senior vice president of global logistics fulfillment…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.61
October 30, 2018
…professionals to work on more important tasks. Enable better inventory management and easier cycle counting: When handled by aerial robots, these tasks produce more accurate supply-demand reconciliation and replenishment needs, ultimately reducing on-hand inventory, Deloitte reports. Enhance warehouse operations: Autonomous Drones can be used in various warehouse operations, from inbound logistics in time-critical situations; carrying materials from storage to the factory; transporting directly from receiving to shipping; or efficiently scanning inventory and significantly reducing labor costs, Deloitte reports. Improve accuracy on mundane tasks: According to Deloitte, robotic process automation in standard sourcing processes can reduce effort and time requirements and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.80
October 15, 2018
…provides the knowledge needed to reduce operations costs and inventory, and respond to clients quicker The adoption of machine learning and other AI technologies provides new insights into a wide range of aspects, including logistics and warehouse management, collaboration, and supply chain management. According to Artificial Intelligence in Logistics, a report by DHL and IBM outlined a number of technologies capable of doing that. Some of them include: Intelligent Robotic Sorting – an effective, high-speed sorting of letters, parcels, and palletized shipments AI-Powered Visual Inspection – taking photos of cargo using special cameras allows to identify damage and identify an…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.16
October 08, 2018
…consistently digitized supply chain saves administrative overheads, replaces time-consuming inventory, and reduces insurance costs by cutting error rates. In total, savings of up to 41% are possible by 2030 compared to today's supply chains. The first-mile delivery of products will become more efficient over the next few years, primarily as a result of the automated assignment of freight to the truck, and platform solutions will replace manual administration tasks, which will release savings potential of 45% by 2030. For last-mile deliveries, data-driven demand analysis, automated deliveries (for example through drones) and reduced administrative overhead could see costs fall by 51%.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.57
October 04, 2018
…navigation and artificial intelligence is being used to understand inventory levels and location within warehouses and enabling organizations to move inventory faster throughout the supply chain. The companies investing in aerial robots are also redirecting their staff to handle high-value activities and empowering their teams with rich information, which can then be revisited at any point and time and can be used to make better decisions. As autonomous robot technology continues to advance and improve, expect even more benefits to be added to this list. “As supply chain operations continue to shift focus to direct customer needs,” Deloitte concludes, “autonomous…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 6.98
October 04, 2018
High inventory costs, constant stock-outs, low SKU turnover rates and getting stuck with too much obsolete inventory are just a handful of the challenges that companies run into when they don’t use good inventory management practices. In today’s fast-paced, e-commerce/omni-channel distribution world, any one of these challenges can have a negative impact on the bottom line. However, achieving optimal inventory levels requires a delicate balance. Procure too little of a product and you wind up with stock-outs, lost sales or unhappy customers. Buy too much and your carrying and storage costs go through the roof right along with the number…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.22
October 01, 2018
…as per JLL’s research, include: Wireless technology and real-time inventory tracking: Warehouse operators are adopting new technologies to build efficiency into every aspect of the warehouse. Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags attached to each inventory item can transmit real-time data to and from the warehouse floor and inventory management applications, allowing warehouse teams to use mobile devices to track inventory from the moment it arrives. A hyper-connected facility: In a hyper-connected warehouse, operating systems are laid out in a highly advanced matrix to accommodate the growing mix of technologies. Today's warehouses hold bandwidth for technologies like barcoding, IoT, RFID scanning,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.73
September 10, 2018
…and acts like a person to pick cartons; and the machine vision behind PINC’s drone technology used to take inventory in warehouses. “We don’t yet know the limits of AI,” Babu said, “but every day, we’re discovering new use cases.”
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.81
September 07, 2018
…We’re even seeing camera-mounted drones being used to take inventory in the warehouse. Kroger, Walmart, Macy’s, Target and Coca-Cola are just a few leading companies that are testing and investing in the next generation of advanced warehouse automation. Their use is the next logical step to leverage efficiencies in supply chains that are already under severe pressure to speed up order fulfillment and reduce costs. While investing in advanced automation might seem to be the best way to manage fulfillment, the analysis to determine the best fit and return on investment is often insufficient or influenced by the automation and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.78
September 06, 2018
…consumer goods (FMCG), among other industries. The goods-to-person Butler, an AI-enabled autonomous robot, optimizes the supply chain process from inventory storage and replenishment to order picking. The Butler PickPal combines AI and Machine Vision to revolutionize automated fulfillment, working in tandem with the Butler to accelerate multi-fold the pick process in fulfillment centers.
